Locomotives traditionally include a car body that houses one or more power units of the locomotive. The weight of the car body is supported at either end by trucks that transfer the weight to opposing rails. The trucks typically include cast steel or fabricated frames that provide a mounting for traction motors, axles, and wheel sets. Each railway truck is configured to pivotally support a base platform of the car body by way of a common bolster. Locomotives can be equipped with trucks having two, three, or four axles.
The traction motors are typically coupled to each axle of the railway truck. During operation of the locomotive, the traction motors are generally powered by engines to drive the wheels by way of the axles. This activity can cause the traction motors to heat up. To function properly, the traction motors must be cooled to be protected from overheating. If the traction motors are not cooled properly and overheating occurs, the life expectancy, stability, and reliability of the traction motors can be reduced.
To prevent overheating, the traction motors are typically cooled using forced air from centrifugal fans mounted on the locomotive. One attempt to prevent overheating to the traction motors is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,164,444 that issued to Blomberg (“Blomberg”) on Jul. 4, 1939. The fans blow air through passageways formed in the truck bolster and frame members leading to the traction motors. The air is then directed to the traction motors through flexible bellows that connect the frame to the lateral faces of the individual traction motors. The flexible bellows provide passageways for the air to reach the traction motors and also accommodate displacement that occurs as the frame and the traction motors move relative to each other during travel of the locomotive.
Although the cooling design disclosed in Blomberg may be functional in many situations, it may be less than optimal. This is because supplying air to the traction motors from the truck bolster requires forcing air through the frame members located between the truck bolster and the traction motors. Because the truck bolster, frame, and traction motors move with respect to each other, air may escape as it travels from the truck bolster through the frame and to the traction motors. The cooling design of Blomberg also requires air to be supplied to the traction motors at their lateral faces. This indirect route may cause difficulty in providing sufficient air to cool the traction motors.
The railway truck of the present disclosure solves one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art.